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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JUNE, 1921
chief of hell and carried him before Husain Nizam Shah. As soon as 'Ali 'Adil Shah heard of the capture of Sad&shivaraya, he hastened to the spot with the design of releasing the a coursed infidel, but Husain Nizam Shah, being aware that 'Ali 'Adil Shah would press for the Raya's release, which it would be folly to grant, and that a refusal to grant it would only lead to strife between the allies, and to the rupture of the alliance, issued orders for the execution of Sadashivaraya before 'Ali 'Adil Shah could arrive. His mischievous head was then severed from his foul body and was cast beneath the hoofs of the king's horse. It was then by the king's order placed on a spear and exhibited to the Hindu army, and the Muslims then charged the enemy who scattered and fled in all directions. Husain Nizam Shah pursued the fugitives and so many were put to the sword that the plain was strewn with their accursed bodies. According to the most moderate accounts, the number of the slain was nine thousand, 155 but according to some accounts it much exceeded this number, and the remainder escaped with much difficulty, and fled in all directions, hiding like foxes in holes of the earth. The victors captured jewels, ornaments, furniture, camels, tents, camp equipage, drums, standards, maidservants, menservants, and arms and armour of all sorts in such quantities that the whole army was enriched.
Husain Nizam Shah prostrated himself in gratitude to God, and allowed the army to retain all the spoil except the elephants. The amirs and vazira tendered their humble congratulations on this glorious victory and all were rewarded with advancement. The secretaries then composed letters announcing the victory, which were sent to all parts of the world. • This glorious victory was gained on Friday, Jamadi-ul-Akhir 2, A.L. 972 (Jan. 4, 1565).
136 یکی از اول جمادی الاخر and one of the learned men of the court composed the chronogram
that is to say the date would be found by subtracting one from the total of the numerical value of the letters composing the sentence.
When 'Ali Adil Shah and Ibrahîm Qutb Shah became aware of the death of Sadashivaraya, who was, in truth, their support and stay, they bitterly repented of having entered into the alliance with Husain Nizam Shah, but since an arrow once let loose cannot be recalled, their repentance availed them nothing.
After this glorious victory, Husain Nizâm Shâh and the two noble Sultans who accompanied him, halted for ten days on the battlefield,157 collecting their booty and disposing of and slaying such of the infidels as fell into their hands (during this period), and then marched on to Vijayanagar and spent four months in that country, destroying the temples and dwellings of the idolaters and utterly laying waste all the buildings of the country. The three kings then set out on their return journey to their own kingdoms.
A.D. 1565. In the course of the return journey, Ibrahim Qutb Shah, who was vexed with Mustafa Khân for the share which he had had in the execution of Sadashivaraya, his dissatisfaction with which has already been mentioned, said to Mustafa Khân in the course of conversation. 'You have ever expressed a desire to make a pilgrimage to Makkah and the other
165 This is a strangely modest computation. Firishta says that popular rumour placed the number of the slain at 300,000, but that it was in truth about 100,000. This, considering the dense mases of the Hindus, the deadly artillery fire, and the execution done by the Muḥammadan cavalry among the half clad Hindu infantry, as well in the battle as during the long pursuit, may well be believud.
156 The words of the chronogram seem to indicate that Sayyid 'All's date, Jamddx-us-sdn 2, not 20, is correct, but the chronogram itself is wrong by two years. The numerical values of the letters give the total 975, substracting one from which we get 974, whereas the date of the battle was 972
157 The T.M. Q.8. agrees in this statement, hut according to Firishta the pursuit was at once continued as far as Anagondi, fifteen miles from Vijayanagar.
